12/14/11

The saga is finally over, and Chris Paul is actually moving to LA this time, except he'll be in a Clippers uniform. Here are my quick thoughts on the trade.

Any time you can add a superstar alongside one of the most exciting/promising young players in the league, you've done a good thing. They gave up some good assets, but I think that the Clippers made a step forward in this trade overall. Chris Paul's impact is understood by everyone, but together with the recent Billups and Caron Butler signing, they look dangerous. DeAndre Jordan has a bright future in the league, and he was obviously overpaid (different story for a different post), but the Clippers spent big because they probably anticipated that they were going to trade Kaman. This is a playoff team without a doubt. Championship caliber? Not yet. They are one player away.

One move that I really think was talked about extensively was about giving Eric Gordon up in the trade. I've never really been completely sold on Gordon dating back to his days in Indiana. He's a great scorer, no doubt about that, but he's a very one-dimensional player. A shoot-first guy that hasn't reached his potential in the passing game. Playing alongsi

de Jarrett Jack, another natural scorer may not be an ideal fit.

Ironically, Al-Farouq Aminu was part of this deal as well. Aminu was a guy that Chris Paul mentored and spent a lot of time with on his trips back to Wake to train with the team while Aminu was at the school. I think Aminu has a tremendous potential to be a top flight rebounder in the league, but he's not going to be a premier scorer. There is probably more hype around him than real substance to his game. I'm sure it is PR for New Orleans fans. Either way, there will be an increase in his stats from his rookie year (5.6ppg and 3.3rebs) due to his increased playing time.

The Chris Kaman and unprotected 1st round Minnesota pick were great moves. Kaman is a good "bandaid Center" while the team looks to rebuild. The former All-Star has battled injuries his entire career, but that isn't much of an issue. Considering there are only 66 games, and he has averaged about 50 games over the course of his career, I think the Hornets can get their worth. The real value of Kaman will be when his massive $11 million salary comes off their books at the end of the year. That will give the Hornets added cap room to make legitimate signings. Couple that with one of the deepest drafts in recent memory, and you've got yourself a solid starting point. Imagine if that Minnesota pick turns out to be a #1 pick?

Chris Paul will be revitalized with this trade. It's going to be an incredible combo to see Griffin and Paul play off each other. Management has a pretty big window to grab another star to pair with both players in their prime. Lakers fans have always laughed and brushed the Clippers off, but as soon as the trade was announced, everyone stopped laughing as if the principal had just walked in. Suddenly, not just Lakers fans, but the entire league is taking this team seriously. We'll see them nightly on SportsCenter, and we'll move definitely see them beyond 66 games this year.